PURPOSE

To examine the efficacy of a novel intervention for problematic eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction.

DESIGN

Participants enrolled in the intervention or waitlist comparison group were assessed at pre and post 10 weeks.

SETTING

Midwestern university.

SUBJECTS

One hundred twenty-four female employees or partners/spouses.

INTERVENTION

Eat for Life is a 10-week group intervention integrating mindfulness and intuitive eating skills.

MEASURES

Self-report questionnaires included the Intuitive Eating Scale, Body Appreciation Scale, Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Questionnaire for Eating Disorder Diagnoses, and an author-constructed supplemental and demographic questionnaire.

ANALYSIS

Analyses of covariance and ordinal regression measured group differences. Structural equation modeling examined mediation effects. Results . Significant differences between groups were observed for body appreciation (F1,121 = 40.17, p = .000, partial eta squared = .25), intuitive eating (F1,121 = 67.44, p = .000, partial eta squared = .36), and mindfulness (F1,121 = 30.50, p = .000, partial eta squared = .20), with mean scores significantly higher in the intervention group than waitlist comparison group after 10 weeks. The intervention group was 3.65 times more likely to be asymptomatic for disordered eating than the comparison group. Mindfulness served as a partial mediator.

CONCLUSION

The study provides support for an intervention combining intuitive eating and mindfulness for treatment of problematic eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction, with limitations including self-selection and lack of active control group.